Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Kaplan Concedes Mayor's Race; Congratulates Schaaf

In a statement that followed Mayor Jean Quan's concession earlier in the day, Kaplan vowed to collaborate in the future with her soon-to-be former council colleague.

“This afternoon, I’m proud to congratulate Mayor-elect Libby Schaaf on her incredibly well-fought campaign to move Oakland forward," said Kaplan. "Mayor-elect Schaaf and I share a deep and profound commitment to making Oakland stronger, safer and more prosperous. We’ll together represent the entire city, and I’m excited to partner with her on a wide variety of ways to improve the city that she and I both love.

I ran for mayor because Oakland needs strong leadership, and because Oakland needs a fresh start. Today, we unite around our next mayor and dedicate ourselves to supporting her and our city in every way that we can.

Finally, I’m incredibly proud of the positive campaign we ran. My commitment to serving Oakland has never been stronger, and as City Council President Pro Tem, I’ll continue to put Oakland first every single day."

Schaaf bested Kaplan in the final round of ranked choice voting by a large margin Tuesday night, 63 percent to 37 percent.